The Ocean
It was the middle of winter, and to get away from the cold my family and I decided to take a vacation somewhere warm and enjoyable. We decided to go to Florida and enjoy the warm and beautiful beaches. I pictured the ocean as being a place of peace and serenity. It was my first time visiting the ocean, and all I hoped for was the ocean to be as beautiful as the pictures I had seen of it. As we arrived at Clearwater Beach in Florida, the eagerness of seeing this peaceful place was rising. I couldn’t wait to smell the fresh salty air, and feel the soft sand between my toes.
I jumped right in, walking barefoot in the sand, and enjoying the beautiful serenity before me. The sand felt soft, mushy, and slightly abrasive. With each step
The whole island is in the shape of a giant square with white sandy beaches full of people sunbathing, swimming and fishing right on the shoreline. From the end of the hot pavement parking lot to shore of the beach is an ocean of soft white sand. The pearlescent white sand seems to know how to invade every nook and cranny almost as if it enjoys it. Walking around the beach on the fluffy whiteness surrounding the parking lot, the seagulls are fighting over scraps of food on the ground. “Sandy beach ecosystems provide invaluable services to humankind. Their functions have been exploited through history, with significant anthropogenic effects (Lucrezi, 2015)”. This white sandy beach is a beautiful refuge from the mundane grind of everyday life. The smell of the misty ocean air mixed with the sound of seagulls hovering above and kids playing is a tonic for the mind. The feel of the sand between their toes and the waves crashing over them as people swim in the water, or the jerk of a fishing pole when someone is catching a fish makes Fred Howard Park one of the best places to relax. Standing on the beach looking out on the water, people are kayaking and windsurfing. The lifeguards watching vigilantly in their bright red shirt and shorts, blowing their whistles when they see someone being unsafe. After a long day of swimming and laying around visitors head back over the soft white sand to the showers, in order to rinse off the menacing sand that clings to everything like a bad habit. Everyone rushes over the hot pavement burning their feet to reach their cars so they can put away their beach paraphernalia which is still covered in the white sand, nearly impossible to completely leave behind, so when they get home it serves as a reminder of where they were that
Miami is full sunny days year round, which means that the beaches are always accessible. I decided to take a stroll down to the beach. The feeling of the sand caressing my toes and the water engulfing my body is like no other. A small fish decided to tickle my toes and then nonchalantly swam away. As the sand rose I noticed how clear the water was. Miami truly does have beautiful beaches that are blossoming with life. The sand was a beautiful tan while the water was crystal clear. The green and brown algae surrounding the area was swaying with the waves. They rendered helpless to the wave’s push and
What comes to mind when you hear the word adventure!!? Well there is a place in Florida that is guaranteed to bring out your inner kid every time you visit. This place is known as universal Orlando Florida. This is a place where you can go on vacation and have fun like never before as you did when you were a kid. On my visit to Orlando I stated at a four-star resort located inside the theme park known as Cabana Bay Beach Resort, also went to universal studios and islands of adventure were I felt like I was a kid again.
The smell of the restaurants faded and the new, refreshing aroma of the sea salt in the air took over. The sun’s warmth on my skin and the constant breeze was a familiar feeling that I loved every single time we came to the beach. I remember the first time we came to the beach. I was only nine years old. The white sand amazed me because it looked like a wavy blanket of snow, but was misleading because it was scorching hot. The water shone green like an emerald, it was content. By this I mean that the waves were weak enough to stand through as they rushed over me. There was no sense of fear of being drug out to sea like a shipwrecked sailor. Knowing all this now I knew exactly how to approach the beach. Wear my sandals as long as I could and lay spread out my towel without hesitation. Then I’d jump in the water to coat myself in a moist protective layer before returning to my now slightly less hot towel. In the water it was a completely different world. While trying to avoid the occasional passing jellyfish, it was an experience of
My name is Kelsey and I am 22 years old. I live in the Florida panhandle and have been going to Walt Disney World since I was six years old. I was raised into a family that is incredibly loyal to the Disney brand; we still try and go as a family at least once a year. Now that I am engaged, my fiancé and I have started our own annual tradition, and will hopefully be married there.
The day of my grandparents had told me they have been wanting to go to the Florida Keys and asked if I would like to join. So of course i wanted to go. Oh and when they told me i could bring a friend along i was jumping with happiness inside. They told me we would be going for a couple weeks and they had all expenses covered. So that day I started talking to Jamie and asking her when she would be back, because at that time she was in Florida visiting family. She had told me she would be back . So i asked her is she would like to join me and take a trip to the Keys with me. I could tell she was so excited when i asked her because she texted me back all in caps and said “CALL ME”. So i called her to let her know all of the details. So she ended up getting back .So when she got back from Florida we went to Walmart and bought a lot of
As I walk towards the ocean with the sand warm beneath my feet, the waves lap at my ankles, seeming as if they want to pull me out to sea. The sun rises over the horizon, reflecting off the waves and shimmering like gold. The salt air smells tangy as it stings my nose with the smell I crave while I am away from the ocean. The Outer Banks in North Carolina has been my favorite place to go from my first memories. I look forward to going there every summer because there at the ocean I feel at home. It is a place where I can forget every stress in my life and be totally at peace. It is a place where my family can spend time together, not like at home where we all have activities and places to be. The Outer Banks is not a beach where the ocean is forgotten; there is no partying and no boardwalks, nothing but nature to fill your days there. The beach is not crowded to the point where it is hard to even walk to the beach ,and looking for shells is not even an option. This beach is a very peaceful and surreal place. The noises of people do not overwhelm you at this beach; all you can hear are the sea gulls and the waves.
My memory of strolling up and down St. George Street in St. Augustine is more than just a cherished flashback, it’s the start of a new life. Prior to moving to Florida, both of my parents were in the Navy, resulting in our family having to move all around the East Coast frequently. When it was revealed that we would finally settle down in Florida, our first visit would be none other than the oldest city in the United States, St. Augustine. This memory of St. Augustine is so important to me because it piqued my interest in history, it gave me a chance to spend time with my mom, and I was able to witness my first sunset.
As I watch, the waves from the shore look fun and almost innocent as they crest and then crash over one another. I can taste the salt in they air and watch little rainbows glisten through the prisms of the ocean’s spray. The warm ocean water toward the shore is covered with foam and bubbles from the rumbling waves as children and their families play in the gritty tan colored sand. I think to myself, “This is perfect”.
A traumatizing experience awaited me, an experience that would strike immediate fear into my heart. In the summer of 2011, right after finishing up third grade, my family and I departed off to the group of islands just off the coast of Seattle known as the San Juan Islands. Since it was our first day arriving by ferry from the mainland, we promptly decided onto going to the clear, lovely beach, for it’s so infrequent to find a decent beach in the area of Houston. “Time to finish up here!” my mom announced after 30 minutes of adventuring the flawless sand and expressive waves clearly passed by. The majority of the family which included everyone but my dad and I went to scour for astounding stores since we still happened to be emptying our shoes of sand.
I turned off the car and took a deep breath. Looking slowly up into the pink sky, I began to watch the golden sun go to sleep. The beach seemed deserted, quiet, but peaceful. I opened my door and put my feet out on the soft sand. I started taking my shoes off, then my socks. I threw them in the passenger seat, and then shut the door. I looked out over horizon of the lake and started walking towards the still water. With each step I took, I could feel the warm sand crunch between my toes. Then suddenly, a sharp rock, but not sharp enough to break the skin.
The place where I would like to call me second home is located all the way down in Savanna Georgia. I can remember way back about nine years ago in the summer of 2008. The plane ride was a long and hot, and I spent the whole ride playing on my PSP. When I got off the plane I remembered walking through the freezing cold Savanna International Airport seeing all the flags of different countries hanging from the ceiling, but then taking one step out of the airport front doors looking for the car services that was rented and feeling the crushing 100°F heat and deathly humidity. But it is all worth the painful heat to spend time in the beautiful city.
The salty sunrises that go along with Florida mornings are just a small part of the reason why I adore visiting this state so much. Waking up to the sun splashing on my face, I feel warm and stress-free throughout my entire body. When I open my eyes, I see that my previously white, cotton sheets are now tinted scarlet from the glare of the burning sun. I stretch out my sleepy bones and take in the scent of the ocean breeze that has slowly encompassed my space. I gradually get out of bed and walk a straight path to the patio of my hotel room. Since I am on the fifth floor, I get to see the complete ocean view. Looking out at the ocean puts me at ease and makes me want to live here. The ocean rolls onto the sand as if it was gently kissing the Earth and it rolls in deeply, smoothly. It is a bond between two aspects of nature that leaves me breathless with every tide.
Last month I was in Newport, California, for ten days. Almost every day we went to the beach and some mornings I went for a jog along the water. It seemed easier to keep going because of the breathtaking aroma. In the mornings it was muggy and the fog lied over the calm water far-out. One day at the beach I was taking everything in. A gust of fresh ocean air breezed over me and the shivers came up my body. The wind took my blond hair and it went back behind me tickling my spine. The sun was peaking through the only two clouds in the sky. I felt the radiance of the UV rays shining down and my skin getting crispy. It was not humid, it was rather a dry hot. The beautiful scene that I was now a part of
I drive to the beach and continue to look at the indicators that fall will arrive soon. I park the car and walk across the footbridge to the beach where I sit in the lifeguard’s chair, staring out into the frothy waves. I leave my shoes and slowly wander down to the ocean. The sand feels coarse and moist between